From Manual Working to Structured Workflows for International Speciality Insurer

Case study at a glance

Get ready to streamline your processes with our client, a specialty insurer and reinsurer on the rise! Our client is cloud first, preferring cloud applications to self-hosted. Before working with us, the client relied on manual processes to link work in an assortment of tools like Slack, Airtable and email. But with operations spanning across multiple continents, they needed a more consistent, centralised solution to track tasks and keep everything running smoothly. That’s where we came in.

Our team designed and created structured workflows in Jira that matched the client’s business needs while still allowing them to maintain their existing processes – Using the power of Jira we made the solution fit the customer, rather than forcing the customer to accept one-size-fits-all. We integrated Jira and Confluence with Slack, as well as several other systems including data warehouses, Power BI and custom-built platforms , and implemented Jira and Confluence apps to enhance functionality. Plus, we provided a Scrum Master to assist with project delivery and upskilled the client’s internal team.

The result? Increased adoption of Jira, better visibility into task volumes, and improved execution of business processes. Want to find out more about how they improved other processes? Check out the full case study!

The Challenge

The client needed a more efficient solution for tracking and processing tasks, with complete task visibility and automation. Previously, many of their workflows had been done in unconnected tools like Airtable, email and Slack.
They wanted to introduce structure to their processes and systems and automate repetitive tasks.
They also needed a centralised location for their processes and preferred SaaS solutions, so required consultants with experience in cloud-based integration.

The Solution

Our team designed and created structured workflows for the client’s core underwriting and other business processes, as well as general project and task management.
We integrated Jira and Confluence with Slack and several other systems and implemented additional Jira apps to enhance functionality. We used scripted functionality and AWS to extend the capabilities of Jira and created automated triggers with AWS Lambdas, SQS, and API Gateway.
We also provided a Scrum Master to assist with project delivery and upskilled the client’s internal IT team.

The Benefit

The client has gained faster, more consistent and higher quality execution of their business processes; better visibility into task volumes; improved agile practices, and more.
Jira centralizes the record of work to be done and provides better guidance on the tasks that need doing and their priority.
The client has benefited from AC’s best practice consultancy, specifically around the Atlassian suite and agile methodologies.
There is greatly improved reporting of the work completed within Jira.
Our solutions have synchronized multiple systems in the client’s estate, reducing manual repetition of work and providing a ‘single source of truth’ for data.

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Introduction

With operations spanning across three continents, our client, a specialty insurer and reinsurer, had business processes that took place mostly manually through Slack messages, emails, and Airtables. This lack of structure and automation led to low traceability and accountability, making it tough to know if tasks were actually being completed. Plus, they only had a limited number of Jira projects and minimal use of the Jira platform.

The Challenge

So, what did our client need? A workflow solution to track and process tasks more efficiently, with complete task visibility, efficient task management, and approvals. They wanted to bring some structure to their processes and systems and have automated triggers for different workflows, like replacing Slack threads with query processes and automatic task generation. They also wanted to schedule automations to reduce the number of repetitive tasks they had to do. They needed a centralised location for their processes, especially since they operate across multiple continents. And on top of all that, they preferred SaaS solutions over self-hosted options and needed consultants with cloud-based experience and knowledge of integration tools and practices.

The Solution

That’s where we came in! Our team was involved in the end-to-end DevOps cycle for multiple projects, from requirements gathering to deployment and support. We designed and created complex, structured workflows for the client’s core underwriting and other business processes, as well as general project and task management, while still allowing the client to maintain their existing business processes. These workflows were used at the heart of these processes and generally streamlined the process to match business requirements.

We also integrated Jira and Confluence with Slack, reducing manual effort, and allowing for automatic notifications based on certain triggers with links to the triggering activities. For example, we implemented sending a Slack direct message to a user if they are tagged in a Jira comment. And that’s not all – we integrated Jira with several other systems, like data warehouses, custom-built platforms, and PowerBI, and made sure these systems were bi-directionally synchronized. This way, users could create and update Jira tasks directly from the source systems and have everything update.

We recommended and implemented additional Jira apps to enhance functionality, like ScriptRunner for Jira Cloud, Zephyr Scale for better test management, PowerBI connector for Jira, and ProForma for creating custom forms on the JSM portal. And to really take things up a notch, we used scripted functionality and AWS to extend the capabilities of Jira, triggering AWS Lambda scripts from ScriptRunner to ease maintainability and reduce the risk of hitting capacity limits. We also used AWS Lambdas, SQS, and API Gateway to create queues of automated triggers, batch together automations for the same issue, and optimize many-to-one triggers. This helped us avoid overloading Jira Cloud’s API rate limits and allowed for the processing of complex business logic. The scripted functionality and AWS complement each other in terms of functionality and performance, making it easier to integrate with external systems.

But wait, there’s more! In addition to all the technical solutions we implemented, we provided the client with a Scrum Master to assist with the project delivery of one of the key Change Team workstreams and shape the client’s Agile practices and methodology. We also gave general assistance and upskilling to the client’s internal IT team and general BAU support to users.

The Benefits

So, what was the benefit of all this? The client benefited from AC’s experience in implementing a wide range of IT and software solutions, particularly their expertise in the Atlassian toolset and AWS. AC provided better visibility into task volumes, query management, and turnaround time for both onshore and offshore teams. The client benefited from AC’s best practice consultancy, specifically in the Atlassian suite, AWS and agile methodologies. As a result, users spent less time on repetitive manual tasks and had better guidance on which tasks needed to be completed. The synchronization between multiple systems and centralisation of information also reduced manual repetition and provided a ’single source of truth’ for data. The solutions greatly improved the reporting of work completed within Jira and tasks were automatically escalated based on SLAs, leading to a better response time. Overall, the project resulted in a more streamlined, consistent and high quality way for users to execute the client’s business processes.

Ready to discuss your project?

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the work we did with our client to streamline their processes and increase efficiency. If you’re in a similar situation, or just looking to take your workflow to the next level, we’re here to help!

Our team has experience implementing a wide range of IT and software solutions, particularly our expertise in the Atlassian toolset and AWS. We can provide better visibility into task volumes, query management, and turnaround time for both onshore and offshore teams. Plus, the automation we can introduce will help streamline your processes and make it easier to integrate with external systems.

Don’t waste any more time juggling a million tasks and wondering if they’re getting done – let us help you bring structure and automation to your workflow.

Want to find out more? Get in touch with us today and see how we can help your organisation reach new heights of productivity!